God. Calls.

God . . . calls things that are not as though they were.(Romans 4:17)

What does this verse mean? It is the very reason why "Abraham in hope believed" (v. 18). That Abraham would become the father of a child at his advanced age seemed absurd and an utter impossibility, yet God called him "the father of many nations" (Gen. 17:4) long before there was any indication of fulfillment. And Abraham thought of himself as a father, because God had said so. That is genuine faith—believing and declaring what God has said, stepping out on what appears to be thin air and finding solid rock beneath your feet.

Therefore boldly declare what God says you have, and He will accomplish what you believe. You must, however, exhibit genuine faith and trust Him with your entire being. from Crumbs

We must be willing to live by faith, not hoping or desiring to live any other way. We must be willing to have every light around us extinguished, to have every star in the heavens blotted out, and to live with nothing encircling us but darkness and danger. Yes, we must be willing to do all this, if God will only leave within our soul an inner radiance from the pure, bright light that faith has kindled. Thomas C. Upham

The moment has come when you must jump from your perch of distrust, leaving the nest of supposed safety behind and trusting the wings of faith. You must be like a young bird beginning to test the air with its untried wings. At first you may feel as though you will fall to the earth. The fledgling may feel the same way, but it does not fall, for its wings provide support. Yet even if its wings do fail, one of its parents will sweep under it, rescuing it on strong wings.

God will rescue you in the same way. Simply trust Him, for His "right hand sustains" (Ps. 18:35). Do you find yourself asking,"But am I to step out onto nothing?"That is exactly what the bird is seemingly asked to do, yet we know that the air is there and that the air is not nearly as insubstantial as it seems. And you know that the promises of God are there, and they certainly are not insubstantial at all. Do you still respond, "But it seems so unlikely that my poor, helpless soul would be sustained by such strength." Has God said it will? "Do you mean that my tempted, yielding nature will be victorious in the fight?" Has God said it will? "Do you mean that my timid, trembling heart will find peace?" Has God said it will?

If God has said so, surely you do not want to suggest He has lied! If He has spoken, will He not fulfill it? If He has given you His word—His sure word of promise—do not question it but trust it absolutely. You have His promise, and in fact you have even more—you have Him who confidently speaks the words.

"Yes, I tell you" (Luke 12:5). Trust Him! J. B. Figgis

Sent from the Streams in the Desert Devotional, by L. B. Cowman. For devotionals like this one for your iPhone, visit us at 43rdElement.com

Sent from my iPhone

ESL

I love reading my friends blogs about what is going on in their lives, relationships, ministries, and churches, and I realized that I’m so bad about doing the same…. When God has been showing me His faithfulness right before my eyes! So I thought I would share the story of the latest thing the Lord has placed before me.

A few months ago my friend Tiffany and I were at a missions prayer meeting that our friends have. While we were at the meeting, our friends who host it started sharing with us that the Lord has given them a heart to reach the community in their own backyard. Isn’t is so sad how we can get so excited and invested in Foreign Missions and forget about the very people who live behind our Church buildings? So as they were sharing their vision, Tiffany and I started talking and realizing how many apartment buildings and neighborhoods are around our Church, totally unreached! So Tiffany went home that night, and I went home that night very burdened. Tiffany shared with our friend (who is also her sister) April, and April shared that she has also been burdened to do something more to reach out to the community. So we started to pray…

What we DIDN’T know, was that our missions pastor Carlos, and our local refugee missionary friend Brian had been really burdened to start up English as a Second language classes at our Church.

So imagine our surprise, and theirs, when they learned that we all really had the same vision! Most of the people in our area are Russian, Spanish, or speak Arabic, so ESL is an awesome way to get involved in what is going on around us.

We started praying about it and literally it all just started coming together! I have never in my life so clearly seen God orchestrate something. God has been so faithful to bring Russian and Spanish speaking believers, and even a girl with her Masters in ESL, who made us a curriculum for free!

Our first ESL class starts tomorrow, and we will be meeting every Wednesday thru August.

I would COVET your prayers as at this point me and Brian are the closest thing to an Arabic speaking person that we have…. and between the two of us, that still isn’t much! Also, please pray that God would be glorified thru this, and that many would come to saving faith in Jesus Christ. We want them to walk away having learned English, but ultimately learning the love of God.

Also, pray that people come, because that is key :)

What a awesome thing, to have the Nations at our doorstep.

God's Best

"Take the arrows. . . . Smite upon the ground. And he smote twice and stayed. And the man of God was wroth with him, and said, Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times" (2 Kings 13:18, 19).

How striking and eloquent the message of these words! Jehoash thought he had done very well when he duplicated and triplicated what to him was certainly an extraordinary act of faith. But the Lord and the prophet were bitterly disappointed because he had stopped half way.

He got something. He got much. He got exactly what he believed for in the final test, but he did not get all that the prophet meant and the Lord wanted to bestow. He missed much of the meaning of the promise and the fullness of the blessing. He got something better than the human, but he did not get God's best.***

Beloved, how solemn is the application! How heartsearching the message of God to us! How important that we should learn to pray through! Shall we claim all the fullness of the promise and all the possibilities of believing prayer? --A. B. Simpson

***

"Unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think" (Eph. 3:20).

There is no other such piling up of words in Paul's writings as these, "exceeding abundantly above all," and each word is packed with infinite love and power to "do" for His praying saints. There is one limitation, "according to the power that worketh in us." He will do just as much for us as we let Him do in us. The power that saved us, washed us with His own blood, filled us with might by His Spirit, kept us in manifold temptations, will work for us, meeting every emergency, every crisis, every circumstance, and every adversary. --The Alliance

Love This. Want this.

“May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1)

To trust in spite of the look of being forsaken; to keep crying out into the vast, whence comes no returning voice, and where seems no hearing; to see the machinery of the world pauselessly grinding on as if self-moved, caring for no life, nor shifting a hair-breadth for all entreaty, and yet believe that God is awake and utterly loving; to desire nothing but what comes meant for us from His hand; to wait patiently, ready to die of hunger, fearing only lest faith should fail—such is the victory that overcometh the world, such is faith indeed. —George MacDonald